The hunting of the snark : an agony in eight fits

ttntmig of % Snarfc,

• IP

THE HUNTING

OF THE SNAEK

an
in <£ig|)t Jfils,

BY

LEWIS CARROLL

AUTHOR OF "ALICE'S ADVENTI-BES IN WOND^RLAKD," AND "THROUGH THE
LOOK1NG-OLA.SS."

WITH NINE 1LLUXTHAT10NS

BY

HENRY HOLIDAY /

ITonboit :
MACMILL.AN AND CO.

1876.

[The Right of Translation avd llcprnditction is

LONDON :

CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS,
BREAD STREET HILL.

n

n

Inscribed to a &m CMIo :

in numorg of golben summer homes

ana tobispers of a summer sea.

Girt with a Ijoyish garb for boyish ta.sk,

Eager she wields her spade : yet loves as well
Rest on a. friendly knee, intent to ask
The tale he loves to tell.

Rude spirits of the seething outer strife.

Unmeet to read her pure and simple spright,
Deem, if you list, such hours a waste of life.
Empty of all delight 1

Chat ou, sweet Maid, and rescue from annoy
Hearts that by wiser talk lire unbeguiled.
Ah. happy he who owns that temlerest joy,
The heart-love of a child !

Away, fond thoughts, and vex my soul no more !

Work i-laima my wakeful nights, my busy days—
Allieit bright memories of that sunlit shore
Yet haunt my dreaming gaze I

PEEFACE.

IF and the thing is wildly possible the charge of

writing nonsense were ever brought against the author
of this brief but instructive poem, it would be based,
I feel convinced, on the line (in p. 18)

"Then the bowsprit got mixed with the rudder sometimes."

In view of this painful possibility, I will not (as I
might) appeal indignantly to my other writings as a
proof that I am incapable of such a deed : I will not
(as I might) point to the strong moral purpose of this
poem itself, to the arithmetical principles so cautiously
inculcated in it, or to its noble teachings in Natural

History 1 will take the more prosaic course of

simply explaining how it happened.

The Bellman, who was almost morbidly sensitive about
appearances, used to have the bowsprit unshipped once or
twice a week to be revarnished, and it more than once
happened, when the time came for replacing it, that no
one on board could remember which end of the ship it
belonged to. They knew it was not of the slightest use

to appeal to the Bellman about it he would only

refer to his Naval Code, and read out in pathetic tones
Admiralty Instructions which none of them had ever

5

x PREFACE.

been able to understand so it generally ended in

its being fastened on, anyhow, across the rudder. The
helmsman * used to stand by with tears in his eyes : he
knew it was all wrong, but alas ! Rule 42 of the Code,
" No one shall speak to the Man at the Helm" had been
completed by the Bellman himself with the words " and
tlie Man at the Helm shall speak to no one.'' So remon-
strance was impossible, and no steering could be done
till the next varnishing day. During these bewildering
intervals the ship usually sailed backwards.

As this poem is to some extent connected with the
lay of the Jabberwock, let me take this opportunity
of answering a question that has often been asked me,
how to pronounce " slithy toves." The " i " in " slithy "
is long, as in " writhe " ; and " toves " is pronounced so
as to rhyme with " groves." Again, the first " o " in
" borogoves " is pronounced like the " o " in " borrow."
I have heard people try to give it the sound of the
"o" in "worry." Such is Human Perversity.

This also seems a fitting occasion to notice the other
hard words in that poem. Humpty-Dumpty's theory,
of two meanings packed into one word like a port-
manteau, seems to me the right explanation for all.

For instance, take the two words "fuming" and
"furious." Make up your mind that you will say both

* This office was usually undertaken by the Boots, who found in it
a refuge from the Baker's constant complaints about the insufficient
blacking of his three pair of boots.

PREFACE. xi

words, but leave it unsettled which you will say first.
Now open your mouth and speak. If your thoughts
incline ever so little towards " fuming," you will say
" fuming-furious ; " if they turn, by even a hair's breadth,
towards " furious," you will say " furious-fuming ; " but
if you have that rarest of gifts, a perfectly balanced
mind, you will say "frumious."

Supposing that, when Pistol uttered the well-known
words —

" Under which king, Bezonian ? Speak or die ! "

Justice Shallow had felt certain that it was either
William or Eichard, but had not been able to settle
which, so that he could not possibly say either name
before the other, can it be doubted that, rather than
die, he would have gasped out "Rilchiam!"

b 2

/it tl)c /irst. Cbt JTanbhrg 3

/it the £cconJ>. <lbc Scllmuu's ^pcctl.) 15

/it the C^irb. (Tbc Anker's (Tale ^7

/it tbc Jfourtb. (Tbc Bunting. . 37

/it tbc Jfiftb. *Tbc ^caber's ^rssou ... ... 47

/it tbc Sixtfj. Cl^e Barrister's Clrcam Cl

/it tbc ^cbcntb. Cbc Banker's /ate 71

/it tbc tfigbtb. Cb« Daitisbutg , 79

FIT ly-THE LANDING.

Jfit ijn Jfirst

THE LANDING.

" JDST the place for a Snark ! " the Bellman cried,

As he landed his crew with care ;
Supporting each man on the top of the tide

By a finger entwined in his hair.

"Just the place for a Snark! I have said it

twice :

That alone should encourage the crew.
Just the place for a Snark ! I have said it thrice :
What I tell you three times is true."

B

4 THE LANDING.

The crew was complete : it included a Boots—
A maker of Bonnets and Hoods-

A Barrister, brought to arrange their disputes—
And a Broker, to value their goods»

A Billiard-marker, whose skill was immense,

Might perhaps have won more than his share-
But a Banker, engaged at enormous expense,
Had the whole of their cash in his care.

There was also a Beaver, that paced on the deck,

Or would sit making lace in the bow :
And had often (the Bellman said) saved them

from wreck,
TThough none of the sailors knew howjl

'

E 2

6 THE LANDING.

There was one who was famed for the number of
things

He forgot when he entered the ship :
His umbrella, his watch, all his jewels and rings,

And the clothes he had bought for the trip.

He had forty-two boxes, all carefully packed,
With his name painted clearly on each :

But, since he omitted to mention the fact,
They were all left behind on the beach.

The loss of his clothes hardly mattered, because
He had seven coats on when he came,

With three pair of boots but the worst of

it was,
He had wholly forgotten his name,

-"ft** :\qjfa/

./

THE LANDING. 7

He would answer to " Hi ! " or to any loud cry,
Such as " Fry me ! " or " Fritter my wig ! "

To " What-you-may-call-um ! " or " What-was-his-

name ! "
But especially " Thing- um-a-jig ! "

While, for those who preferred a more forcible
word,

He had different names from these :
His intimate friends called him "Candle-ends,"

And his enemies " Toasted-cheese."

" His form is ungainly his intellect small—

(So the Bellman would often remark)

" But his courage is perfect ! And that, after all,
Is. the thing that one needs with a Snark."

O

8 THE LANDING.

He would joke with hyaenas, returning their stare
With an impudent wag of the head :

And he once went a walk, paw-in-paw, with a

bear,
" Just to keep up its spirits," he said.

He came as a Baker : but owned, when too late—

And it drove the poor Bellman half-mad —
He could only bake Bridecake— —for which, I

may state,
No materials were to be had.

The last of the crew needs especial remark,
Though he looked an incredible dunce :

He had just one idea— —but, that one being

" Snarl*,"
The good Bellman engaged him at once.

THE LANDING. 9

He came as a Butcher : but gravely declared,
When the ship had been sailing a week,

He could only kill Beavers. The Bellman looked

scared,
And was almost too frightened to speak :

But at length he explained, in a tremulous tone,
There was only one Beaver on board ;

And that was a tame one he had of his own,
Whose death would be deeply deplored.

The Beaver, who happened to hear the remark,

Protested, with tears in its eyes,
That not even the rapture of hunting the Snark

Could atone for that dismal surprise !

THE LANDING. n

It strongly advised that the Butcher should be

Conveyed in a separate ship :
But the Bellman declared that would never agree

With the plans he had made for the trip :

Navigation was always a difficult art,

Though with only one ship and one bell :

And he feared he must really decline, for his

part,
Undertaking another as well.

The Beaver's best course was, no doubt, to procure

A second-hand dagger-proof coat-
So the Baker advised it and next, to insure

Its life ift some Office of note :

12 THE LANDING.

This the Banker suggested, and offered for hire

(On moderate terms), or for sale,
Two excellent Policies, one Against Fire,

And one Against Damage From Hail.

Yet still, ever after that sorrowful day,
Whenever the Butcher was by,

The Beaver kept looking the opposite way,
And appeared unaccountably shy.

FIT II.— THE BELLMAN'S SPEECH.

c 2

JfH ilyt

THE BELLMAN'S SPEECH.

THE Bellman himself they all praised to the
skies

Such a carriage, such ease and such grace !
Such solemnity, too ! One could see he was wise,

The moment one looked in his face !

He had bought a large map representing the sea,
Without the least vestige of land :

And the crew were much pleased when they

found it to be
A map they could all understand.

10 THE BELLMAN'S SPEECH.

"What's the good of Mercator's North Poles and

Equators,

Tropics, Zones, and Meridian Lines ? "
So the Bellman would cry : and the crew would

reply
" They are merely conventional signs !

<r

" Other maps are such shapes, with their islands

and capes!

But we've got our brave Captain to thank "
(So the crew would protest) "that he's bought us

the best—
A perfect and absolute blank ! "

This was charming, no doubt : but they shortly

found out
That the Captain they trusted so well

NORTH

Sca/c nf Milea.

OCEAN-CHART.

18 THE BELLMAN'S SPEECH.

Had only one notion for crossing the ocean,
And that was to tingle his bell.

He was thoughtful and grave— —but the orders

he gave

Were enough to bewilder a crew.
When he cried " Steer to starboard, but keep her

head larboard ! "
What on earth was the helmsman to do ?

Then the bowsprit got mixed with the rudder
sometimes :

A thing, as the Bellman remarked,
That frequently happens in tropical climax

When a vessel is, so to speak, Cf siiarked."

THE BELLMAN'S SPEECH. 19

But the principal failing occurred in the sailing,
And the Bellman, perplexed and distressed,

Said he had hoped, at least, when the wind blew

due East,
That the ship would not travel due West !

But the danger was past they had landed

at last,

With their boxes, portmanteaus, and bags :
Yet at first sight the crew were not pleased with

the view,
Which consisted of chasms and crags.

The Bellman perceived that their spirits were low,
And repeated in musical tone

D

THE BELLMAN'S SPEECH.

Some jokes he had kept fur a season of woe-
But the crew would do nothing but groan.

He served out some grog with a liberal hand,
And bade them sit down on the beach :

And they could not but own that their Captain

looked grand,
As he stood and delivered his speech.

" Friends, Romans, and countrymen, lend me

your ears ! "

(They were all of them fond of quotations :
So they drank to his health, and they gave him

three cheers,
While he served out additional rations).

THE BELLMAN'S SPEECH. 21

" We have sailed many months, we have sailed
many weeks,

(Four weeks to the month you may mark),
But never as yet ('tis your Captain who speaks)

Have we caught the least glimpse of a Snark !

" We have sailed many weeks, we have sailed
many days,

(Seven days to the week I allow),
But a Snark, on the which we might lovingly
, gaze,

We have never beheld till now !

" Come, listen, my men. while I tell you again

The five unmistakable marks

D 2

22 THE BELLMAN'S SPEECH.

By which you may know, wheresoever you go,
'The warranted genuine Snarks.

" Let us take them in order. The first is the taste,
Which is meagre and hollow, but crisp :

Like a coat that is rather too tight in the waist,
With a flavour of Will-o-the-wisp.

" Its habit of getting up late you'll agree
That it carries too far, when I say

That it frequently breakfasts at five-o'clock tea,
And dines on the following day.

" The third is its slowness in taking a jest.
Should you happen to venture on one,

THE BELLMAN'S SPEECH. 23

It will sigh like a thing that is deeply dis-
tressed :
And it always looks grave at a pun.

"The fourth is its fondness for bathing-machines,

Which it constantly carries about,
And believes that they add to the beauty of
scenes

A sentiment open to doubt.

"The fifth is ambition. It next will be right

4

To describe each particular batch :
Distinguishing those that have feathers, and bite,
From those that have whiskers, and scratch.

24 THE BELLMAN'S SPEECH.

" For, although common Snarks do no manner

of harm,

Yet, I feel it my duty to say,
Some are Boojums— The Bellman broke off

in alarm,
For the Baker had fainted away.

FIT III.— THE BAKER'S TALE.

|it t'gc fcjjirlr.

THE BAKER'S TALE.

THEY roused him with muffins— they roused him

with ice—

They roused him with mustard and cress—
They roused him with jam and judicious advice-
They set him conundrums to guess.

When at length he sat up and was able to speak,

His sad story he offered to tell;
And the Bellman cried "Silence! Not even a

shriek ! "
And excitedly tingled his bell.

E

28 THE BAKER'S TALE.

There was silence supreme ! Not a shriek, not a

scream,

Scarcely even a howl or a groan,
As the man they called " Ho ! " told his story of

woe
In an antediluvian tone.

" My father and mother were honest, though

poor—

"Skip all that!" cried the Bellman in haste.
"If it once becomes dark, there's no chance of a

Snark

We have hardly a minute to waste!"

"I skip forty years," said the Baker, in tears,
"And proceed without further remark

THE BAKER'S TALE. 29

To the day when you took me aboard of your

ship
To help you in hunting the Snark.

" A dear uncle of mine (after whom I was named)
Remarked, when I bade him farewell

" Oh, skip your dear uncle ! " the Bellman ex-
claimed,
As he angrily tingled his bell.

"He remarked to me then/' said that mildest of

men,

" ' If your Snark be a Snark, that is right :
Fetch it home by all means you may serve

it with greens,

And it's handy for striking a light.

E 2

30 THE BAKER'S TALE.

« 'You may seek it with thimbles-arid seek it
with care ;

You may hunt it with forks and hope ;
You may threaten its life with a railway-share ;

You may charm it with smiles and soap-

(« That's exactly the method," the Bellman bold

In a hasty parenthesis cried,
« That's exactly the way I have always been told

That the capture of Snarks should be tried!")

" ' But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day,
If your Snark be a Boojum! For then

You will softly and suddenly vanish away,
And never be met with again!'

32 THE BAKER'S TALK

" It is this, it is this that oppresses my soul,
When I think of my uncle's last words :

And my heart is like nothing so much as a bowl
Brimming over with quivering curds !

"It is this, it is this " "We have had that

before ! "

The Bellman indignantly said.
And the Baker, replied " Let me say it once more.

It is this, it is this that I dread!

" I engage with the Snark every night after

dark —
In a dreamy delirious fight :

THE BAKER'S TALE. 33

I serve it with greens in those shadowy scenes,
And I use it for striking a lio-ht •

o o

"But if ever I meet with a Boojum, that day,
In a moment (of this I am sure),

I shall softly and suddenly vanish away

And the notion I cannot endure!"

FIT IV.— THE HUNTING.

Jfit the
^ j

HUNTING.

THE Bellman looked uffish, and wrinkled hie brow.

" If only you'd spoken before !
It's excessively awkward to mention it no\v,

With the Snark, so to speak, at the door!

;< We should all of us grieve, as you well may
believe,

If you never were met with again—
But surely, my man, when the voyage began,

You might have suggested it then ?

38 THE HUNTING.

" It's excessively awkward to mention it now—
As I think I've already remarked.''

And the man they called " Hi ! " replied, with a

sigh,
" I informed you the day wre embarked.

" You may charge me with murder — or want of
sense—

(We are all of us weak at times) :
But the slightest approach to a false pretence

Was never among my crimes !

" I said it in Hebrew — I said it in Dutch —
I said it in German and Greek :

THE HUNTING. 39

But I wholly forgot (and it vexes me much)
That English is what you speak ! "

"Pis a pitiful tale," said the Bellman, whose

face

Had grown longer at every word :
"But, now that you've stated the whole of your

case,
More debate would be simply absurd.

" The rest of my speech " (he explained to his men)
" You shall hear when I've leisure to speak it.

But the Snark is at hand, let me tell you again !
'Tis your glorious duty to seek it !•

40 THK IirXTINC.

''• To seek it with thimbles, to seek it with care ;

To pursue it with forks and hope ;
To threaten its life with a railway-share ;

To charm it with smiles and soap !

" For the Snark's a peculiar creature, that won't
Be caught in a commonplace^ way.

Do alt that you know, and try all that you don't :
Not a chance must be wasted to-day !

" For England expects— -I forbear to proceed :
'Tis a maxim tremendous, but trite :

And you'd best be unpacking the things that

you need
To rig yourselves out for the fight,"

42 THE HUNTING.

Then the Hanker endorsed a blank cheque (which

he crossed),

And changed his loose silver for notes.
The Baker with care combed his whiskers and

hair,
And shook the dust out of his coats.

The Boots and the Broker were sharpening a

spade-
Each working the grindstone in turn :
But the Beaver went on making lace, and dis-
played
No interest in the concern :

Though the Barrister tried to appeal to its pride,
And vainly proceeded to cite

THE HUNTING. 43

A number of cases, in which making laces
Had been proved an infringement of right.

The maker of Bonnets ferociously planned

A novel arrangement of bows :
While the Billiard-marker with quivering hand

Was chalking the tip of his nose.

But the Butcher turned nervous, and dressed

9j
himself fine,

With yellow kid gloves and a ruff-
Said he felt it exactly like going to dine,
Which the Bellman declared was all " sniff."

" Introduce me, now there's a good fellow," he said,
" If we happen to meet it together ! "

Q

44 THE HUNTING.

And the Bellman, sagaciously nodding his head,
Said "That must depend on the weather."

The Beaver went simply galumphing about,

At seeing the Butcher so shy :
And even the Baker, though stupid and stout,

Made an effort to wink with one eye.

" Be a man!" said the Bellman in wrath, as he heard

The Butcher beginning to sob.
" Should we meet with a Jubjub, that desperate
bird,

We shall need all our strength for the job ! "

EIT V.— THE BEAVER'S LESSON.

G 2

THE BEAVERS LESSON.

THEY sought it with thimbles, they sought it with
care ;

They pursued it with forks and hope ;
They threatened its life with a railway-share ;

They charmed it with smiles and soap.

Then the Butcher contrived an ingenious plan

For making a separate sally ;
And had fixed on a spot unfrequented by man,

A dismal and desolate valley.

48 THE BEAVER'S LESSON.

But the very same plan to the Beaver occurred :-
It had chosen the very same place :

Yet neither betrayed, by a sign or a word,
The disgust that appeared in his face.

Each thought he was thinking of nothing but
" Snark "

And the glorious work of the day ;
And each tried to pretend that he did not remark

That the other was going that way.

Hut the valley grew narrow and narrower still,
And the evening got darker and colder,

Till (merely from nervousness, not from goodwill)
They marched along shoulder to shoulder.

THE BEAVER'S LESSON. 49

Then a scream, shrill and high, rent the shuddering
sky,

And they knew that some danger was near:
The Beaver turned pale to the tip of its tail,

And even the Butcher felt queer.

He thought of his childhood, left far far behind—

That blissful and innocent state —
The sound so exactly recalled to his mind

A pencil that squeaks on a slate !

"•Tis the voice of the Jubjub ! " he suddenly cried.

(This man, that they used to call " Dunce.")
" As the Bellman would tell you," he added with
pride,

" I have uttered that sentiment once.

t>0 THE BEAVER'S LESSON.

" 'Tis the note of the Jubjub ! Keep count, I

entreat ;

You will find I have told it you twice.
'Tis the song of the Jubjub ! The proof is

complete,
If only I've stated it thrice."

The Beaver had counted with scrupulous care,

Attending to every word :
But it fairly lost heart, and outgrabe in despair,

When the third repetition occurred.

It felt that, in spite of all possible pains,
It had somehow contrived to lose count,

THE BEAVER'S LESSON 51

And the only thing v now was to rack' its poor

brains
By reckoning up the amount.

" Two added to one — if that could but be done,"
It said. " with one's finders and thumbs ! "

O

Kecollecting with tears how, in earlier years,
It had taken no pains with its sums.

' The thing can be done," said the Butcher, " I

think.

The thing must be done, I am sure.
The thing shall be done ! Bring me paper and ink,
The best there is time to procure."

H

THE BEAVER'S LESS! >X. 53

The Beaver brought paper, portfolio, pens,

And ink in unfailing supplies :
While strange creepy creatures came out of their
dens,

And watched them with wondering eyes.

So engrossed was the Butcher, he heeded them not,

o •

As he wrote with a pen in each hand,
And explained all the while in a popular style
Which the Beaver could well understand.

" Taking Three as the subject to reason about
A convenient number to state

\Vr add Seven, and Ten, and then multiply out
By One Thousand diminished by Eight.

H '2

54 THE BEAVER'S LESSON.

" The result we proceed to divide, as you see,
By Nine Hundred and Ninety and Two :

Then subtract Seventeen; and the answer "must be
Exactly and perfectly true.

' The method employed I would gladly explain,

While I have it so clear in my head,
If I had but the time and you had but the

brain —
But much yet remains to be said.

" In one moment I've seen what has hitherto been

Enveloped in absolute mystery,
And without extra charge I will give you at large

A Lesson in Natural History."

THE BEAVER'S LESSON. 55

In his genial way he proceeded to say

(Forgetting all laws of propriety,
And that giving instruction, without introduction

Would have caused quite a thrill in Society),

Et As to temper the Jubjub's a desperate bird,
Since it lives in perpetual passion :

Its taste in costume is entirely absurd-
It is ages ahead of the fashion :

" But it knows any friend it has met once before

It never will look at a bribe :
And in charity-meetings it stands at the door,

And collects though it does not subscribe.

56 THE HEAVER'S LESSON.

" Its flavour when cooked is more exquisite far

Than mutton, or oysters, or eggs :
(Some think it keeps best in an ivory jar,

And some, in mahogany kegs :)

" You boil it in sawdust : you salt it in glue :
You condense it with locusts and tape :

Still kespiug one principal object in view—
To preserve its symmetrical shape."

The Butcher would gladly have talked till next
day,

But he felt that the Lesson must end,
And he wept with delight in attempting to say

He considered the Beaver his friend.

THE BEAVER'S LESSON. 57

While the Beaver confessed, with affectionate looks

More eloquent even than tears,
It had learned in ten minutes far more than all
books

Would have taught it in seventy years.

They returned hand-in-hand, and the Bellman,
unmanned

(For a moment) with noble emotion,
Said " This amply repays all the wearisome days

We have spent on the billowy ocean ! "

Such friends, as the Beaver and Butcher became,
Have seldom if ever been known ;

58 THE BEAVER'S LESSON.

In winter or summer, 'twas always the same-
You could never meet either alone.

And when quarrels arose as one frequently finds

Quarrels will, spite of every endeavour—

The song of the Jubjub recurred to their minds,
And cemented their friendship for ever !

EIT VI.— THE BARRISTER'S DREAM.

Jfti

THE BARRISTER'S DREAM.

THEY sought it with thimbles, they sought it
with care ;

They pursued it with forks and hope ;
They threatened its life with a railway-share ;

They charmed it with smiles and soap.

But the Barrister, weary of proving in vain
That the Beaver's lace-making was wrong,
Fell asleep, and in dreams saw the creature
quite plain

That his fancy had dwelt on so long.

i 2

THE BARRISTER'S DREAM. 63

He dreamed that he stood in a shadowy Court,
Where the Snark, with a glass in its eye,

Dressed in gown, bands, and wig, was defending

a pig
On the charge of deserting its sty.

The Witnesses proved, without error or flaw,
That the sty was deserted when found :

And the Judge kept explaining the state of the

law
In a soft under-current of sound,

The indictment had never been clearly expressed,
And it seemed that the Snark had begun,

And had spoken three hours, before any one

guessed
What the pig was supposed to have done.

64 THE BARRISTER'S DREAM.

The Jury had each formed a different view
(Long before the indictment was read),

And they all spoke at once, so that none of

them knew
One word that the others had said,

" You must know - " said the Judge : but the

Snark exclaimed " Fudge !
That statute is obsolete quite !
Let me tell you, my friends, the whole question

depends
On an ancient manorial right.

" In the matter of Treason the pig would appear
To have aided, but scarcely abetted :

THE BARRISTER'S DREAM. 65

While the charge of Insolvency fails, it is clear,
If you grant the plea ' never indebted.'

" The fact of Desertion I will not dispute :
But its" guilt, as I trust, is removed

(So far as relates to the costs of this suit)
By the Alibi which has been proved.

"My poor client's fate now depends on your votes."
Here the speaker sat down in his place,

And directed the Judge to refer to his notes
And briefly to sum up the case.

But the Judge said he never had summed up

before ;
So the Snark undertook it instead,

66 THE BARRISTER'S DREAM.

And summed it so well that it came to far more
Than the Witnesses ever had said !

When the verdict was called for, the Jury declined,
As the word was so puzzling to spell ;

But they ventured to hope that the Snark

wouldn't mind
Undertaking that duty as well.

So the Snark found the verdict, although, as it

owned,

It was spent with the toils of the day :
When it said the word "GUILTY!" the Jury

all groaned,
And some of them fainted away.

THE BARRISTER'S DREAM. 67

Then the Snark pronounced sentence, the Judge
being quite

Too nervous to utter a word :
When it rose to its feet, there was silence like night,

And the fall of a pin might be heard.

" Transportation for life " was the sentence it gave,
"And then to be fined forty pound."

The Jury all cheered, though the Judge said he

feared
That the phrase was not legally sound.

But their wild exultation was suddenly checked
When the jailer informed them, with tears,

Such a sentence would have not the slightest effect,
As the pig had been dead for some years.

K

68 THE BARRISTER'S DREAM.

The Judge left the Court, looking deeply

disgusted :

But the Snark, though a little aghast,
As the lawyer to whom the defence was

intrusted,
Went bellowing on to the last.

Thus the Barrister dreamed, while the bellow-
ing seemed

To grow every moment more clear :
Till he woke to the knell of a furious bell,

Which the Bellman rang close at his ear.

PIT VII.— THE BANKER'S FATE.

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THE BANKER'S FATE.

THEY sought it with thimbles, they sought it
with care

They pursued it with forks and hope ; C/v<Q^y/f
They threatened its life with a railway-share ;
They charmed it with smiles and soap.

And the Banker, inspired with a courage so new
It was matter for general remark,

Rushed madly ahead and was lost to their view
In his zeal to discover the Snark.

72 THE BANKER'S FATE.

But while he was seeking with thimbles and

care,

A Bandersnatch swiftly drew nigh
And grabbed at the Banker, who shrieked in

despair,
For he knew it was useless to fly.

He offered large discount — he offered a cheque
(Drawn " to bearer ") for seven-pounds-ten :

But the Bandersnatch merely extended its neck
And grabbed at the Banker again.

Without rest or pause — while those frumious jaws

Wont savagely snapping around—
He skipped and ho hopper!, and he floundered
and flopped,

Till fainting he fell to the ground.

THE BANKER'S FATE. 73

The Bandersnatch fled as the others appeared
Led on by that fear-stricken yell :

And the Bellman remarked "It is just as I

feared!"
And solemnly tolled on his bell.

He was .black in the face, and they scarcely

could trace

The least likeness to what he had been :
While so great was his fright that his waistcoat

turned white—
A wonderful thing to be seen!

To the horror of all who were present that day.

He uprose in full evening dress,
And with senseless grimaces endeavoured to say

What his tongue could no longer express.

TIIK BANK UK'S FATK. 75

Down he sank in a chair — ran his hands through

o

his hair—

And chanted in mimsiest tones
\Vords whose utter inanity proved his insanity,
While he rattled a couple of bones.

'• Leave him here to his fate — it is getting so
late ! "

The Bellman exclaimed in a fright,
': We have lost half the day. Any further delay,

And we sha'n't catch a Snark before nieht ! "

FIT VIII.— THE VANISHING.

THE VANISHING.

THEY sought it with thimbles, they sought it with
care ;

They pursued it with forks and hope ;
They threatened its life with a railway-share ;

They charmed it with smiles and soap.

They shuddered to think that the chase might fail,
And the Beaver, excited at last,
ent bounding along on the tip of its tail,
For the daylight was nearly past.

80 THE VANISHING.

"There is Thingumbob shouting!" the Bellman
said.

" He is shouting like mad, only hark !
He is waving his hands, he is wagging his head,

He has certainly found a Smirk ! "

They gazed in delight, while the Butcher ex-
claimed

" He was always a desperate wag ! "
They beheld him — their Baker— their hero un-
named—
On the top of a neighbouring crag,

Erect and sublime, for one moment of time.
In the next, that wild figure they saw

THE VANISHING. 81

(As if stung by a spasm) plunge into a chasm,
While they waited and listened in awe.

'' It's a Smirk ! " was the sound that first came
to their ears,

And seemed almost too good to be true.
Then followed a torrent of laughter and cheers :

Then the ominous words "It's a Boo — "

Then, silence. Some fancied they heard in the

air

A weary and wandering sigh
That sounded like "— jum ! " but the others de-
dare
It was only a breeze that went by.

THE VANISHING. S3

;' They hunted till darkness came on, but- they

found *

\\

Not a button, or feather, or mark,

*-;

By which they could tell that they stood on the

j

ground

AYhere the Baker had met with the Snark

In the midst of the word he was trying to say,
In the midst of his laughter ruicl glee,

lie had softly and sudden!}" vanished away—
For the Snark was a Boojurn, you see.

THE END.

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